Companion Animal Psychology

By Zazie Todd PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. A recent court case in Nova Scotia considered the role of emotional suffering in an animal cruelty case. It's a first for Nova Scotia, but not the first time courts in Canada have considered emotional  harm as part of an animal cruelty case. Read more about the science behind this in  the role of emotional harm in animal cruelty  at my Psychology Today blog, Fellow Creatures . Photo: Lynette C/Pixabay Zazie Todd, PhD, is the award-winning author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy and Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy . She is the creator of the popular blog, Companion Animal Psychology, writes The Pawsitive Post premium newsletter, and also has a column at Psychology Today . Todd lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, one dog, and two cats.  Useful links: Companion Animal Psychology merch   Companion Animal Psychology

The importance of play, chickens as domesticated animals, and beautiful cat photos – this month’s news. By Zazie Todd PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. My favourites this month “It took two weeks for her to start greeting friends normally (people she knows and loves). Before that, when they would come, she would run up to my bed and hide.” An important post from Eileen Anderson with a story from a dog owner about what happened when a trainer used a shock collar on her dog , and commentary from Eileen about the issues with shock collars and an unregulated industry. “Play is so important for normal development that it takes a lot to deprive an animal of play and play deprived animals are a mess.” Giz asks, do animals work out , with lots of great comments about play. Compiled by Daniel Koltz. Do cats hold a grudge? Dr. Mikel Delgado  looks at two studies of the effects of different handling

Over at my Psychology Today blog, Fellow Creatures , I have a new post on animal hoarding. Photo: amandanunetzejera/Pixabay By Zazie Todd PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. It looks at a study of a new, integrated approach taken in Wake County, North Carolina, where multiple agencies now work together on animal hoarding cases. Animal hoarding is a mental health issue recognized in the DSM-5, and many hoarders simply start again once their animals are taken away. The new approach includes guidelines on how many animals they can keep and the care they must provide. You can read the post, taking an integrated approach to animal hoarding . Zazie Todd, PhD, is the award-winning author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy and Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy . She is the creator of the popular blog, Companion Animal Psychology, writes The Pawsitive Post premium newsletter, and al

My pick of the books to read this summer, from books about animals to the latest fiction and nonfiction from Canada and elsewhere. Two of the books I've enjoyed reading this summer. The pins are by Lili Chin. By Zazie Todd, PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. It’s beautiful weather here, and time for pottering about in the garden and sitting with a book. These are the books I’ve read or am reading this summer. You can find them all in my Amazon store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/animalbookclub Our Dogs, Ourselves: The Story of a Singular Bond by Alexandra Horowitz In Our Dogs, Ourselves , Horowitz takes a fascinating look at the human-dog relationship, ambiguities and all. She’s been listening in on the ways people talk to their dogs and details the fun things that happen in a dog cognition lab. In reflecting on historical changes in breeds, such as the increasingly flat faces of

At my Fellow Creatures blog on Psychology today, a new post looks at some research on how the owners of Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, and Pugs, perceive the health of their dog. By Zazie Todd, PhD Photo: eduardops93/Pixabay This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. The study shows they have a very close bond with their dog, but the concern is some health issues are missed or as seen as 'normal' for the breed. Read more in health issues in brachycephalic dogs are often missed . The study also reports on common health issues in these dogs, and on the common surgeries they may have as a result of the conformation. Zazie Todd, PhD, is the award-winning author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy and Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy . She is the creator of the popular blog, Companion Animal Psychology, writes The Pawsitive Post premium newsletter, and also has a column at Psychology

"A remarkable chronicle of the domestic dog’s journey across thousands of years and straight into our hearts, written with equal parts tenderness and scientific rigor." (Brain Pickings) By Zazie Todd, PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. After a month's break, the Companion Animal Psychology Book Club resumes in August with What's a Dog For?: The Surprising History, Science, Philosophy, and Politics of Man’s Best Friend by John Homans. "As dogs take their place as coddled family members and their numbers balloon to over 77 million in the United States alone, it’s no surprise that canine culture is undergoing a massive transformation. Now subject to many of the same questions of rights and ethics as people, the politics of dogs are more tumultuous and public than ever—with fierce moral battles raging over kill shelters, puppy mills, and breed standards. Inco

For fearful dogs in shelters, 2x15 minute human interactions per day over 5 days improves scores on a screening test and makes most of them be classed as adoptable. Photo:  Lightfield Studios/Shutterstock By Zazie Todd, PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Arriving at a shelter is a stressful experience for any dog . For fearful dogs , being unable to escape from something threatening – such as a person entering the kennel – can cause them to show aggressive behaviour such as growling. New research by Regina Willen ( HALO ) et al, published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science , shows the effectiveness of an enrichment program in helping such dogs be classed as adoptable. The scientists write, “While fearful dogs in shelters are vulnerable, the vulnerability is not inevitable. Providing relatively brief human interaction in a quiet area with other elements of enrichment (e.g., treats, toys) can